Postdoctoral Research Associate in Plasma Boundary and Plasma-Material Interaction Modelling (MPEX), ORNL
Job Description
Oak Ridge National Laboratory is hiring a computational physicist to model plasma transport and plasma-material interactions in MPEX, a high-flux superconducting linear plasma device nearing completion. The call is open until filled.
At a glance
- Post: Postdoctoral Research Associate in Plasma Boundary and Plasma-Material Interaction Modelling (MPEX)
- Where: Power Exhaust and Particle Control Group, Fusion Energy Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA
- Requisition ID: 17180
- Closing date: none given. ORNL reviews applications as they arrive, so the post is open until filled
- Pay: the advertisement states no figure
Read the official ORNL advertisement before you apply.
The work
MPEX, the Materials Plasma Exposure eXperiment, is being built to expose candidate fusion materials to the kind of plasma flux a reactor wall will actually see. Before it runs, somebody has to model what will happen inside it.
You would use state-of-the-art 3D plasma boundary simulation tools as part of the MPEX Whole-Device Model, working closely with the experimental team to understand the device’s plasma-material interaction physics and optimise its performance for the first campaigns. The named duties include interpretive three-dimensional boundary plasma simulations to inform and optimise radiofrequency power coupling, target conditions and overall device performance, and integrating boundary plasma simulations with impurity transport models to assess the production and transport of impurities.
The Power Exhaust and Particle Control group works on the boundary region of tokamaks, stellarators and linear devices for fusion facilities worldwide.
What you need
- A PhD in plasma physics, nuclear engineering, physics or a related field
- Experience with boundary plasma or edge transport simulation
- Comfort working alongside an experimental team on a device being commissioned
- Read the official advertisement for the full qualifications
Pay and conditions
ORNL publishes no salary figure on this advertisement. It is a US Department of Energy Office of Science national laboratory with more than 7,000 staff, and postdoctoral appointments there are normally fixed-term with the possibility of renewal. Ask about the term and the pay band at interview.
How to apply
Apply through the ORNL job page using the Apply button, quoting requisition 17180. The advertisement gives no closing date, so apply early. Most ORNL positions require the right to work in the United States, and some roles touching nuclear or export-controlled work carry citizenship conditions. Read the posting’s own wording before you spend time on an application from outside the US.
Browse more research jobs on ResearchJobs.in, or search our Find a supervisor page.
Hiring institution: Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Official advertisement: jobs.ornl.gov
How to prepare for this application
- Name the codes. SOLPS, EMC3-EIRENE, EDGE2D or similar boundary plasma tools.
- The device is nearly built. This is modelling that feeds straight into real campaigns, so practicality counts.
- Quote the requisition ID, 17180. ORNL tracks applications by it.
- Check the work-authorisation line on the posting. It is the usual reason an overseas application stalls at a national laboratory.
About Oak Ridge National Laboratory
ORNL is the largest US Department of Energy Office of Science laboratory, in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, with a legacy going back to the 1940s and more than 7,000 staff. It runs national user facilities including the Spallation Neutron Source and the Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility, and works across computing, materials, chemistry, nuclear science, biology and energy.
